First Christmas
by Seigi-san
Summary: Yay, it's nearly Christmas, and time for an obligatory festive oneshot! If it's your first Christmas with that someone special, wouldn't you want it to be one to remember? MXM


( Yay! It's nearly Christmas! That means it's time for much festive oneshotness! Hope you like! )

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The phone was too loud. The harsh shrilling broke into pleasant dreams, causing the sleeping couple to stir. Grumbling, the man buried his head under the comforter, clearly hoping that the sound would go away. But of course, it didn't. Suppressing a yawn (and a few curses), the woman stretched out a thin hand to grab the receiver, face still half-buried in her pillow.

"Hello?"

"_Merry Christmas!_"

Opening her eyes a little wider, she looked at the phone, then at the clock, then listened to the cheery voice again. "Erica?"

The one at the other end of the line laughed. "_Don't tell me you were asleep! It's Christmas morning!_"

"But only just.." The clock read 8.15AM. Groaning, Murrue hid her face under the covers. Where did that woman find her energy? She'd gone home early, leaving Murrue in charge until 7PM, then the night crew after that - she'd said Christmas Eve was an important time for family. _I didn't mind staying, I knew Erica's whole family was coming over. My family...I only have Mwu. Or at least..._ She smiled, rubbing her flat stomach. _So far, anyway... _"How long have you been awake?"

"_Since about 7. Ryuta and some of his cousins decided that they wanted to open their presents, so we all had to get up..._" Her friend stifled a yawn as she spoke, and Murrue smiled.

"I hope you have a nice Christmas. Thank you for calling."

"_He'd better get you a nice present! Tell him I'll be making sure!" _With that, the line went dead. Yawning, the young woman snuggled down in the covers again, her smile growing as a warm arm was wound firmly around her waist. "Good morning to you too.." He chuckled softly, nuzzling his face into her hair. The two of them had spent Christmas Eve together, curled up on the sofa in their room under a blanket to watch a movie and share a bottle of wine. The film had been good - what she remembered of it before he started kissing her neck. Usually he got a little nervous about getting too close these days. She could tell he missed the intimacy, as she did, but there was more to worry about now..

_"What's wrong?" _she'd asked, reaching up to brush her fingers against his face. He'd been kissing her, but had pulled away, his expression one of mixed concern and disappointment.

_"Nothing," _he'd replied softly. He'd leaned down to kiss her forehead before trying to pull away, but she hadn't let go. Ever since they'd found out she was pregnant, he'd almost been avoiding her. There had been kisses, and he always snuggled up to her on the sofa and at night, but nothing more. She knew why it was - he was afraid of hurting the baby.

_"It's all right...they're safe. Don't worry..." _Bringing him close, she'd kissed him, winding her arms around his neck. _"Just be careful, okay?"_

He had been, Murrue remembered contentedly. He'd lifted her up and carried her here...it had been the early hours of the morning before they'd finally fallen asleep, she curled in his arms.

"Merry Christmas.." she whispered. Mwu murmured in reply, almost asleep again now, and she turned around in his arms to watch him. He was smiling, azure eyes half-closed, and pressed kisses to the palm of her hand as she trailed fingertips across the scar on his nose.

Deciding to leave her husband to sleep, she carefully climbed from the bed, donning her robe and heading for the shower. _I have a lot to do today. Mwu told me about what Christmas was like when he was little - a day when his parents got dressed up and left him all alone. So today, I'll do my best to make Christmas everything it can be for him..._

They'd already decorated the tree, he helping to set it up in the sitting room and decorate it with the tinsel and baubles she kept carefully stored in the attic. Sure, it was a little lopsided, but very good for a first attempt. His beam of pride when he'd helped her set the angel on the highest branch had been wider than any child's, and it still made her smile to think about it. So much he'd missed out on - but not anymore.

Humming softly, she switched on the oven. She'd planned everything, the turkey, the vegetables, even the pudding. She'd been teased by her friends at work...but that didn't matter. _I want this to be special. Not just because it'll be his first real Christmas, but because it'll be the only one I get to share with just him... _Not that she resented her baby - far from it. She was looking forward immensely to their child being born, as was Mwu, but this year...she wanted to be romantic. To make the most of the time they had before she had to share him. And a candlelit Christmas dinner sounded perfect.

"Murrue?" Blinking sleepily. he pushed himself up on one elbow, glancing round the room for any sign of his wife. The sheets were still warm, the covers rumpled, so she hadn't been awake long. Leaning out of bed to grab some clothes, he yawned and stretched, grinning at how tired he felt. Some Christmas Eve that had been - he didn't even remember what the movie had been about. Chuckling softly, he reached into the drawer of the bedside table for the object he had carefully hidden there, then hopped out of bed to search for Murrue.

She was in the kitchen, much to his amusement. Peas, carrots and potatoes sat in pans waiting to be cooked, something in the oven smelled good, and Murrue herself was leaning against the counter with a cup of coffee. For a moment, he just stayed in the doorway and watched her with a gentle smile. She was looking more tired these days because of the baby, and quite often he'd come home from work to find her fast asleep on the sofa. He'd told her not to bother making a fuss at Christmas, to just relax...but she'd been determined.

_She wanted it to be traditional for me, but that doesn't matter. More than I wanted tradition...I wanted someone to share the holiday with. To sit with on the sofa, share cookies with, watch bad movies with. The turkey and stuff...it doesn't matter._

"Oh, you're awake.." Blinking out of his daze, Mwu glanced up to see her smiling. Setting down her coffee, Murrue walked over to hug him, nuzzling her face into his neck with a happy murmur. She was very affectionate these days, which he loved...although she also lost her temper in a flash, and cried at odd things. The Director had cheerfully informed him that life would be a rollercoaster for the next seven months, so he had better get used to it.

_"It's the hormones," _she'd said, nodding sagely. _"One moment she'll be happy and bouncing, the next throwing plates. It's not her fault, so don't get mad at her. Knowing Murrue, she'll hate not being in control of herself, so the bad days, if there are any, will be terrible for her.."_

"Whatcha doin'?" he asked, kissing the crown of her hair. "Something smells good.."

She beamed, standing on her tiptoes to kiss the tip of his nose. "It's a secret. C'mon, let's go sit down.."

"What did you do for Christmas last year?"

Snuggled up to him on the sofa, she smiled as he stroked her hair. "Lacus-san and Kira-kun invited me over for dinner. They bought me a dress. It was fun, and I enjoyed it. But..."

"But what?" Puzzled, he gazed down at her. Murrue's smile had faded a little, and as he watched, tears formed to shimmer in her eyes. She brushed them away impatiently, shaking her head as she did so.

"I missed you," she admitted quietly. "More than anything, I wished you could have been there. Kira-kun could tell, I think - he missed you too. But not as much as I did.." Peeking up at him, she kissed his cheek before hugging him tightly. Mwu returned the embrace, knowing how much she needed the comfort, and how much he also needed it. He'd missed her too, without even knowing he had. _That time in the Alliance...I always felt as though something were missing. And I know that that something...was you. _She purred contentedly at the embrace and the way he gently stroked the back of her neck, and within minutes, much to his amusement, she was sound asleep.. At the moment, Murrue could sleep anywhere. The Director and the others she worked with had apparently lost count of the times they'd come in to her office to find her asleep on her desk. Carefully moving her to a more comfortable position, he noticed she was smiling. _Maybe she's dreaming of the baby... _He'd often thought of it himself ever since they'd heard the news - what their child might look like, act like. If he could choose, he'd decided, he'd want a daughter, a little girl just as beautiful as her mother. He'd mentioned that to Murrue, and she'd laughed softly, teasing him.

_"And someone here would be the most protective daddy in the world.."_

_Maybe I would...but I can't wait to find out..._

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The next he knew, the light had changed from the brightness of late morning to the dusk of late afternoon, and Murrue was nowhere to be found. A faint smell of burning hung in the air, as did the sound of of someone crying quietly. "Murrue?"

She was in the kitchen, staring at a blackened, shrivelled thing, tears running down her cheeks. _The turkey, _he realised belatedly. _We fell asleep, and it got burned... _Murrue had worked hard to make this Christmas dinner, and now... "Sweetheart.." She looked up at him, amber eyes red-rimmed, and managed a small smile.

"Guess we're not having turkey.." she murmured, rubbing away more tears. "I'm sorry..."

"For what?" Shaking his head, Mwu wrapped her up in a hug, rubbing her back to soothe her. "Nothing to apologise for. It was just an accident." Looking over her shoulder at the stove, he smiled. "Tell you what. We still have that pack of beef in the fridge, right?"

She nodded, clearly confused, and he kissed the tip of her nose. "If we cook that, and the veggies over there, then that's dinner sorted." When she seemed about to protest, he placed a finger over her lips. "It'll be fine."

And it was. After cooking the beef, peas and carrots, he covered it with a layer of fluffy mashed potato and placed it in the oven before taking her in his arms again. She looked a bit happier, the tears dried on her cheeks, and even smiled as he kissed the crown of her hair.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted it to be special.."

"It _is_," he replied softly. "We don't need to have turkey with all the trimmings to make it special. You know what the only thing I need for Christmas is? You."

That took a while to register, Murrue staring at him for several minutes trying to process his words before flushing bright red and hiding her face in his shirt. "You sure know how to embarrass someone..." she mumbled.

"It's true. However cheesy it sounds, that's all I ever wanted. Even if Christmas dinner turns out to be hot tea and shepherd's pie, I don't mind if you're here. C'mon now, it should be ready."

And surprisingly enough, it was very romantic. He'd lit candles on the coffee table, the room dark apart from the flickering flames, then placed a tray of food on her lap before sitting down on the sofa beside her. Tea it was, since she wasn't allowed alcohol now, but that didn't seem to matter so much, and she couldn't hold back a sigh of contentment. No, there was no turkey or Christmas pudding, but was that really so bad?

"Thanks.."

"You're welcome.." Taking the tray from her, Mwu placed it on the floor. "Would you like your present now?"

"It can wait..." With a smile, she turned around in his arms and kissed him. If this was going to be their only Christmas alone together, she was determined to make it one to remember...

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( Yay for rambling X3

Please read and review! And merry Christmas! )


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